Five must-see films starring Grace Kelly

Before becoming Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly left an indelible mark on Hollywood in just five years of her career. Here’s a look back at five iconic films that reveal the many facets of this American cinema icon.

1. To Catch a Thief (1955)

This romantic thriller by Alfred Hitchcock holds a special place in the history of Monaco. Filmed in the hills above the Côte d’Azur in the summer of 1954, the film offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Principality and its surroundings. In a scene that became prophetic, Grace Kelly, driving a convertible alongside Cary Grant, stops in front of a panorama revealing Monaco and exclaims at the end of a car chase: ‘Isn’t this the most beautiful place in the world?’.

“During a fairly long sequence composed of several very bright shots, Grace Kelly stands in front of a place that she seems to embrace from every angle. Behind the Hollywood star stretches the Principality of Monaco. The palace (without a flag), the harbour, the Casino square and part of the city centre are clearly visible,‘ writes Henry-Jean Servat in his book ’La Légende du cinéma à Monaco” (The Legend of Cinema in Monaco).

To Catch a Thief marks the third and final collaboration between Hitchcock and his blonde muse: the film won the Oscar for Best Cinematography.

2. High Noon (1952)

Only her second film, and already a major role alongside the legendary Gary Cooper. In this legendary western by Fred Zinnemann, Grace Kelly plays Amy Fowler, the young Quaker wife of a sheriff who finds himself alone against a band of outlaws. Still a novice, she acquits herself with honour opposite an ageing but still charismatic star. ‘He taught me not to overdo it. On stage, you tend to exaggerate because you’re thinking about the audience in the balcony,’ said Grace Kelly, according to James Spada (‘Grace, the Secret Lives of a Princess’, 1988).

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The film, considered one of the greatest Westerns in cinema history, opened the doors to Hollywood for her and caught the attention of Alfred Hitchcock. Prince Albert II himself told France Info that he had seen this film “more times” than To Catch a Thief, proof of his son’s attachment to this seminal work.

3. Rear Window (1954)

Considered one of the greatest classics in the history of cinema, Rear Window brings together Grace Kelly and James Stewart under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock. The actress plays the character of Lisa Fremont, a sophisticated New York model who tries to convince her photographer boyfriend, confined to a wheelchair, to marry her. Enhanced by Edith Head’s costumes, she displays a remarkable range of emotions: haughty elegance, the sensual provocation of the blonde in whom “fire smoulders beneath the ice” – in Hitchcock’s own words – but also sharp intelligence and dry humour. A role that forever defined the archetype of the “Hitchcock blonde”.

4. The Country Girl (1954)

Paradoxically, it was this psychological drama by George Seaton, less famous than his Hitchcock films, that earned Grace Kelly the Oscar for Best Actress in 1955. Alongside Bing Crosby and William Holden, she plays the devoted wife of an alcoholic singer seeking redemption. It was a role that went against type, in which her beauty was deliberately downplayed to make way for a nuanced performance.

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Following a screening of To Catch a Thief in Nice in 2022, Prince Albert II said that ‘the role she was perhaps most proud of was the one she played in A Girl from the Country, where she was perhaps less expected’. She also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, confirming her stature as a great actress beyond her glamorous image.

5. High Society (1956)

Grace Kelly’s final appearance on the big screen, this musical by Charles Walters brings together a dream cast: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong himself. Newly married to Prince Rainier III, the actress plays Tracy Lord, a wealthy heiress torn between three suitors. A touching detail: the sumptuous ring she wears on screen is none other than her real engagement ring, given to her by the Prince of Monaco.

Grace Kelly even sings the duet “True Love” with Bing Crosby, taking singing lessons for several weeks. The single sold over a million copies, earning her her only platinum disc. In a disturbing scene, she drives at high speed along a coastal road; when Frank Sinatra (who was her friend in real life) asks her where they are going, she replies, “To the cemetery.”